


Nobody Asked You. (title subject to change)

by LokisGhost



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst, Drama, Gen, Pre-Dragon Age
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-02-03 12:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1744076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LokisGhost/pseuds/LokisGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set pre-Dragon Age: Origins, Alistair feels hurt and betrayed by Arl Eamon's decision to send him to the Chantry and decides to run away. There's just one thing he didn't count on...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Mabari and Men

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angelicstubborness](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelicstubborness/gifts).



Alistair grunted in pain, scraping off several layers of skin from his already battered, bare, and now

bleeding shoulders. He careened into another tree as he shied away from the first. Swearing loudly, he

wondered precisely when he had been cursed by the Maker. Deciding that perhaps discretion was the

better part of valor, he slumped to the wet grass, using his latest ‘foe’ as a back rest.

A longsuffering sigh escaped him and he glanced over at his only travelling companion. The Dog.

“And really, my day started SO well…”

The Mabari chuffed softly, tipping his head in confusion. Alistair only replied, wearily, “Yeah well,

nobody asked you, did they?”

 

When Alistair awoke later that evening The Dog was lying across his legs, probably in an attempt to keep

him warm. However, when Alistair finally got the sleeping brute to wake up, he found that couldn’t

stand. The pins and needles running through his legs were nearly unbearable.

The stupid Mabari (and Alistair knew he was stupid, no matter what anyone said of the rest of his breed)

sat and watched Alistair while he spat more curses in his direction.

 

Alistair’s thoughts drifted back to his predicament. He was a bastard, a run-away, and less than a day’s

journey into the woodlands surrounding his…

What was the Arl’s relation to him now? He couldn’t claim him as his ‘protector’ anymore, since it’d

been decided that Alistair was to be shipped off to the Chantry. ‘Guardian’ seemed too kind a word, yet,

for the betrayal Alistair was left with… And he never could claim Eamon as a father, no matter what

that…

Alistair  pulled his thoughts back from that path, not wanting to dwell any further on the reasons and

people behind Arl Eamon’s decision to send him away.

 

Wiping his eyes, the boy stood; stumbling off in the general direction he had been headed when he

stopped to rest. Alistair hugged his bruised shoulders, the sun was setting and the forest was getting

colder.

The Dog trailed after.

 

When the sun rose again, Alistair cried.

He cried as he remembered throwing the one thing of value he’d ever owned, a keepsake from a mother

he’d never known, against the wall and watching the necklace shatter.

He cried at the loss of all that he had known and come to find familiar in his short years. He cried

because he was tired and hurt and hungry, and his only friend in the world was a stupid dog who

wouldn’t quit following him.

He reached a river and not having it in him to find a path across, collapsed beside it. Feeling a weariness

he’d never known before, Alistair curled up and slept.

 

It was only then that The Dog left him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I sort of feel that I spewed crap all over the screen with this chapter. I haven't been keeping up on my writing lately, hopefully I can fix this in editing later.

When he woke again, it was well past noon and The Dog was nosing him in the side. Groaning, Alistair

sat up and looked around, rubbing the grit from his eyes. The Dog huffed at him, drawing Alistair’s gaze;

upon seeing he had his friend’s attention Dog danced away, wagging his stump of a tail excitedly. Giving

the animal a strange look, Alistair shrugged and decided to follow. A short distance back the way that

they had come was a clearing, and it was to this that the dog led the boy.

 

There was no telling where, nor how the Mabari had found it, but the clearing had a small pile of

‘treasures’ at one edge. There were some pantaloons, a few sticks, what seemed to be a small pile of

dirty clothing, and…

“A cake??” Alistair looked at the Dog, who was still strutting about, proud of his collection.

 

The ‘cake’ wasn’t what it seemed, however; it turned out to be a rather large and smelly, mud-coated wheel

of cheese.

Alistair took his prize back to the river and washed it, thoroughly. He broke off most of the outer portion

and gave that to the dog. After eating a good bit of what was left, he went back to the clearing and using

some of the unidentified clothing, fashioned a sling of sorts and slipped the cheese into it. Carrying the

food on his back, he resumed his trek, following the river upstream.

 

The Dog capered about, enjoying the adventure, while ignoring the grumpy, sidelong glances Alistair

was throwing his way.

                                                                      ---

 

The sun was high in the sky before the travelers stopped for lunch, and a short rest. Dog chose to sit

fairly close to the human. Alistair, in a grumpy attempt to get the animal to move away a bit, tossed a bit

of cheese just out of the Dog’s reach, so it caught him by surprise when the large animal caught it

without a problem and turned to him with a large grin.

It soon turned into a bit of a game, Alistair tossing chunks of cheese high in the air or opposite the Dog

but when the game was finished, Dog had caught most of the food without a misstep. The cheese was

significantly smaller and, Alistair realized, he had spent quite a bit of time not thinking of his troubles.

 

When they stopped for the night, Alistair and the Dog settled down to sleep back to back. 

 

The boy only muttered sleepily when Dog shifted around to lay his head over his side.


End file.
